Should Have Married The Corpse
by Krysnel Nicavis
Summary: The team watches Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride with Lindsay on Christmas Day. WARN: some Slash. CatherineGil, SaraWarrick, NickGreg.


**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely NOTHING… makes me wanna cry… :D

**Written for/Submitted to The Ultimate FanFic challenge:** community(dot)livejournal(dot)com/fanfic100/  
**My LDT Link:** krysnel-nicavis(dot)livejournal(dot)com/875(dot)html

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**Title:** Should Have Married The Corpse  
**Fandom:** CSI  
**Characters:** Nightshift CSI's  
**Prompt:** #30 – Death  
**Word Count:** 1,026  
**Rating:** K (Content should be free of any coarse language, violence, and adult themes.)  
**Summary:** The team watches Tim Burton's Corpse Bride with Lindsay on Christmas Day. (C/G, S/W, N/G)  
**Author's Notes:** Warn: some Slash; Spoilers for the movie "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride".

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"That was stupid."

"I think it was sweet."

"Of course _you_ would."

"You two stop fighting, you're grown men," Catherine's voice filtered into the front room where her colleagues were watching a movie with her daughter Lindsay.

"Leave them to it Cath," Gil, her husband, said as he poured some drinks for the younger CSI's were lounging around the living room. "They're going to do it anyway." It was Christmas Day and the Las Vegas Nightshift had finished with dinner and settled down to watch a movie of Lindsay's choosing: Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (she found the notion of watching a movie where a man married a corpse with CSI's funny). When the credits began rolling, Nick and Greg had gotten into an argument over which woman the main character should have ended up with.

"Yes but I'd rather not have a lover's quarrel on my hands if it's avoidable," Catherine stated.

"They're not even together," Gil countered.

"Well they should be." The two walked out of the kitchen

"I have to agree with Nick on this one," Sara said from her seat curled into Warrick's side. "It was sweet. What do you think honey?"

"I'm not getting into this one," Warrick said raising his hands in almost surrender.

"I agree with Uncle Greg, It was stupid," Lindsay spoke up.

"Thanks Linds," Greg smiled.

"Why did you two think it was stupid anyway?" Catherine asked. "I thought it was fine."

"Victor should've married Emily," Greg stated.

"But she was dead," Gil commented.

"I know that," Greg rolled his eyes. "But _think_ about it, he was willing to give his life to be with her. It _would_ have been romantic."

"But Victor loved _Victoria_," Sara countered.

"_Bah_, he was just spineless," Greg scoffed.

"How does wanting to be with the one you love make you spineless?" Nick asked.

"They had never met before that day and he only wanted Victoria because she was alive and so was he. She was convenient."

"See," Sara said. "He didn't want to die so he could never marry Emily."

"But he _would_ have given his life if she hadn't stopped him."

"Emily didn't want to hurt Victoria."

"He didn't _have_ to stop," Greg argued. "He could have drank the poison and proved his love."

"But he didn't love her!" Sara exclaimed.

"He did so," Greg insisted. "He just wasn't man enough to go for it."

"It's not like he left her broken hearted, which is what Victoria would have been."

"She just didn't like being married to Lord Barkis. It was a relationship of convenience."

"But they were so happy in the end," Sara pointed out.

"But _were_ they? I mean _really_. Could the relationship of their marriage have lasted? They were all wrong for each other. At least Victor and Emily had chemistry. Victor and Victoria were awkward."

"They were shy and in love."

"They were _not_ in love, they just _thought_ they were in love," Greg stated. "Victor merely assumed he was in love with Victoria because he was afraid to admit his true feelings for Emily. Think about it, if people found out that his wife was a corpse, what would they say? How would they react?" Catherine noticed Nick get a contemplative look on his face as the argument between Sara and Greg continued.

"That doesn't mean he was spineless, he was realistic."

"Being realistic is just a lame justification for spineless fear. If he'd been true to his heart he'd have married Emily."

"But what about having children and raising a family together?" Sara asked.

"Are you saying that is the only reason people get married?" Greg questioned.

"No, of course not."

"Then what's the problem with it?" Greg sat back in his seat as though this settled everything. "What's wrong with love for love's sake?"

"But she let him go," Sara said.

"The truest testament of love," Greg said and only Catherine noticed his eyes glance, though his half closed eye lids, to where Nick sat. "True love is when you love someone enough to let them go."

- - -

Nick sat in the restaurant with his girlfriend the following evening absently stabbing at his food with his fork. He couldn't get the argument Greg and Sara had ended up having out of his head. He couldn't get Greg's voice out of his head. _'He was willing to give his life to be with her. It _would_ have been romantic… What's wrong with love for love's sake?' _What _was_ wrong with it?

"Nick, what's wrong? Aren't you hungry?" Nick looked up at his girlfriend. Was this merely convenience? Did he love her? Was she the Victoria he thought he should be with when he was really supposed to be with Emily? What would he give for her? His life?

Nick looked into the eyes of the woman who sat across the table from him. She was kind and sweet and reserved. She was safe. She was convenient. He looked to his half butchered plate of uneaten food and sighed. Looking up to meet her gaze he said "I think we need to talk."

- - -

Greg sat in the living room of his apartment with an untouched bowl of popcorn watching his copy of Corpse Bride. He sighed sadly as Emily tuned into a butterfly cloud and fluttered away. He was startled by a knock on the door. He left the credits playing and stood. Opening the door he was surprised at the person standing outside it.

"What are you doing here? I thought you had a date with-"

"Come now, Emily," Nick grinned shyly. "You didn't really think I could let you go for someone like Victoria, did you?"

"Victor?" Greg raised an amused eyebrow. "Are you sure? It would mean an eternity spent in death."

"Only an eternity with you," Nick tilted his head. "Besides, I'll be dead eventually anyway. What's the harm in giving in to my heart now?" Greg smiled shyly and opened his door further. Nick entered and turned to Greg, raising a hand to gently run his finger down Greg's jaw line as the door clicked shut.

- 30 -

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_chapter updated: __December 25, 2007_


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